Sempiternal Fraternities
by FlamingDagger711
Summary: Kurtbastian Childhood AU: When they were children, Sebastian saved Kurt, and they've been best friends ever since. Why would this ever change? Warnings: derogatory language, lots of cursing and implications of Seb's nights in the town are included.
1. Prologue

Sebastian knew Maman was going to pitch a serious fit- he was late, very, very late. Eh, parents… he chuckled to himself as he dragged his lacrosse bag across the lot, full of heavy gear. Dad would in no doubt back him up on this, barking a gruff "Sports is good for him, Éléonore, he will need it to help him to build his physique for when he reaches puberty, then he'll be able to impress all the ladies… or men…" and Maman would sigh, exasperated with the father and son, and groan out "You can't tolerate and spoil him forever, Mark, one day you'll have to stop!"

"-stop! P-please j-just- Ah no not that, no nononono!" a broken cry ripped through his consciousness. Sebastian ducked around the corner of the building and saw with horror dawning, a small figure hunched in on itself across the street while no less than 3 hulks beat him down. The survival instinct in Sebastian tried to tell him to turn away, but then he heard the disjointed growls of "fag", "cocksucker", "abomination"… He knew he couldn't do it. He whipped out his new mobile phone, phoned for the police. He tried his best to explain the situation to the dispatcher on the other end, fumbling for the approximate address and tried not to cry when he hung up on the man accidentally after being informed that help was on the way. With a stroke of genius he filmed the ongoing attack , knowing from the lectures Dad gave him that it would give sufficient evidence paired alongside the victim's bruises… And tried to hold himself back from jumping into the fray. He was just a kid himself, there was no way in hell-

And then he saw the crowbar one man pulled from his belt, and suddenly he burst out frantically.

"Help someone, help there's an attack! You watch it man! You stop that right there!" he charged across the lot. The attackers froze for a second, then bawled with laughter as they realized the bellowing came from a scrawny eight-year old kid.

"Fag's got a friend!" one of them chortled. Sebastian felt his heart drop as he realized that all these men were at least 20 years older than he was, all considerably taller, heavier, _meaner_ than he could ever be. Then when he glanced at the figure on the ground his heart froze. The person squinting past his assailants at him was his age. What in the world were a band of grown men doing trying to attack a small boy?!

"Keep out of this, child," another man sneered. "We're just evening out the world balance, scum like him don't deserve to fucking live. Where the hell didcha mother go wrong withya?! Li'l shitface!" and with those insults two more blows were subsequently delivered into the young boy's face, all the while Sebastian stood frozen at his safe spot far from danger.

"S-stop," he gritted out. The men laughed at that, not even lifting their eyes to look at the boy who was torn in half by his moral compass. Was he going to be the hero, and help the kid by charging in? Or be the weakling who stood by and protested weakly?

A high-pitched broken whimper "Mo-om!" made up his mind for him. With a decisive, "I SAID STOP!" Sebastian charged with his lacrosse stick aimed for the nearest man's head, only to be interrupted by the squealing sirens racing near.

"Shit! The cops! We can continue this another day boys, clear out!" One of the men barked and they all rushed away before Sebastian had time to finish his cry. In a sudden, delayed rush of adrenaline he suddenly threw his bag with all his might at one of the retreating men, and the man fell down with a grunt as his foot caught in the bag strap just in time for the police car racing down the street to brake in front of him. Running away was fruitless.

Meanwhile, Sebastian could only stare at the huddled figure on the ground, at the pasty skinned boy who was covered in bruises and welts. The ambulance screeching to a halt next to them could help with that, Seb knew, but unsettled he was. He could only hear suddenly voices talking medical jargon, and people surrounding the boy he'd saved. A hand was then on his shoulder, leading him to the ambulance, and someone was asking if he was a friend of the boy, was he the one that called the ambulance, could he hear them, where were his parents? Someone muttered about shock and exhaustion, and Seb wanted to lie down but first and foremost he reached out and took the boy's surprisingly unscathed hand from where he was lying on the stretcher- when had they suddenly both popped into an ambulance?- and muttered in French his apologies over and over for not doing something earlier.

Halfway there, but Sebastian wasn't sure when, the boy's shut eyes widened a bit from behind the oxygen mask he wore. Green met a despairing yet heartbreakingly mesmerizing grey, and Sebastian wanted to cry more than ever as he clutched this unknown boy's hand.


	2. Chapter 1

"Bow wow wow wo-"

"G-dammit Luka! Keep up with the choreography will you! All you peasants suck at dancing, no wonder you never made it to Nationals!"

"Badadadum-"

"Jake, you're off pitch. Seriously, you guys haven't even made it past the first 30 seconds of the song, idiots," Sebastian snarled.

"Why did we nominate him for captain again?" Nick shot from the corner of his mouth to Jeff.

"He was our best bet of winning… I'm regretting it now," the blonde whispered back.

A crash resounded through the room as one of the boys, attempting to do the cross-legged twist move crashed into the desk by the wall and slumped unceremoniously to the floor. Sebastian pushed his way through the circle of concerned friends, analyzed the fallen Warbler's physique and the hand at his ankle.

"Luka, take Connor to the hospital wing carefully. Ask the nurse for ice. The whole lot of you, back to rehearsing. Connor, don't you dare show your sorry ass until your ankle's stopped hurting, you're a disaster without a hobble already," the captain snapped. "We're now one man short for this to work," he grumbled.

_Bow wow wow wow, badadadum, badadum, dadadum_

_Ooh, oooh, ooh, Oh let me tell ya now_

_A-ah, a-ah, a-ah_

_Dadadada-_

"This isn't working. The formation isn't balanced," Trent resolutely stopped, interrupting the song.

"You think I don't know that, Trent? You think that as chairman and as lead soloist, I don't take stock that we're missing someone to balance it?" Sebastian snapped, a dangerous glint to his eye. Trent immediately cowered away, while Thad scowled irritably beside him.

"Then, oh wise captain, what bright ideas do you have?" the short boy snarked with a tremor to his voice. Maybe it wasn't such a great idea, challenging his lacrosse team captain.

Already however Sebastian was puling out his cell and shooting off a text. Within minutes a slender boy appeared at the doorway of the Warbler practice room, nodding sagely at Sebastian before taking Connor's place without question.

"Again, you peasants."

The visitors at McKinley could only stare in abject horror as the Warblers executed a perfect performance of the Jackson 5's song. The choreography was flawless, the pitch and harmony was smooth and blended well together, and was that a _countertenor voice _floating above the main melody?! It was obvious the group has stepped up their game from when the New Directions had last seen them. Artie worried his lip as Blaine and Sam made their way further into the room.

Blaine was taken aback at the forwardness of the boy he'd met not long ago, while Sam glared possessively at the captain of the Warblers. The song ended on a high, with the Warblers patting each other on the shoulder, a few of them even nodding in thanks to their harsh captain.

"It's not too late to rejoin us," Sebastian smirked.

After a little forward and backward with the Latina, and mild flirting with the gelled boy, he watched as the visitors made their way off.

"Dismissed," Sebastian smirked, in a relatively good mood. The Warblers trickled off, until finally only Sebastian and one other was left in the room.

"I still can't believe that this whole thing was to intimidate that group," Kurt said softly as he sidled up to his childhood friend. Seb shot him a glance.

"Thanks for joining in last minute by the way, Stark," the taller flashed a fleeting smile.

"You're trying to seduce the cute short one away from his boyfriend aren't you," Kurt sighed, disapproval in his words. "His boyfriend really needs a better dye job, just saying."

"I'm very certain they only just started going out this week, so I know I'll be able to sway Mr. Sings Like a Dream into my bed soon, never mind that guppy mouthed Ken doll."

"Seb, they're a _couple_, they deserve their happiness-"

"You and I both know that I don't believe in the romantic shit, that's your thing, not mine. I've had my sights set on him, ever since he came to find that sorry lot to see him in West Side Story. How's your model going?"

"Don't try changing the subject, but yes, it's going well. I'm missing a few nuts and bolts needed to make it run-_please no inappropriate innuendos_\- and I think I'll finish it by the end of the month. It's too much to ask for you to leave Helmet hair and Bad dye job's relationship alone, isn't it?"

"Yes, Kurtelina. Never fear, they're not in so deep that they'll be picking up pieces of their hearts up afterwards."

"I'm scared about your heart, you pompous asshole-" Kurt snapped. He often worried about his friend, whom was so engrossed in finding Mr. Right Now that he often neglected a vulnerable part of himself.

"Cheh, my heart is unbreakable, you know that. I'm the player, not the one being played," was the response.

"Do I?" Kurt looked at Sebastian earnestly.

"You do," the taller looked at his friend, green eyes boring into his friend's stormy grey. A fleeting conversation, unspoken yet wholly understood, passed between the two in that split second. Thad and Nick, who'd popped back into the room for their forgotten music sheets, could only shift away from the intense staring contest between their captain and the other new boy who had come with him.

"Are they about to do it?" Thad hissed at Nick quietly, losing any tact as usual. The response he received was a snort.

"Haven't you heard? The other one is Sebastian's best friend, they came here together, dude, and he's in your English class… I wonder why they aren't though, Kurt is obviously gay, and I thought all gay guys couldn't resist the Smythe," once out of his mouth he blushed as he realized how his words sounded. Thad didn't pick up on it, and scowled.

"A lackey then. Mindless drone," he muttered and stomped away.


	3. Chapter 2

Sebastian seemed like he was in a hurry when Kurt poked his head into the taller boy's dorm room.

"Where are you going?" Kurt smiled as in his hurry Seb nearly left his dorm keys on the bedside table as he rushed to get his wallet and car keys. Snatching them off the mahogany wood Kurt executed a well-practiced pitch as Sebastian effortlessly caught it, their duo dynamic working seamlessly.

"I just got wind that Blaine's going to be at the Lima Bean in about fifteen minutes, with his," Sebastian sneered, "_beau_. I'm crashing their date."

"Oh," Kurt said a bit crestfallen. He'd wanted to find Sebastian for a musical marathon in his room since his roommate was MIA as usual. "Do you need any help?"

"Nah, I think this is a one-man job. Can't have you there if this intervention turns out well," Seb said with an absent smile, no doubt thinking about Blaine again. He didn't seem to be aware of his words or their effect on Kurt. He closed the dorm door, not even caring that Kurt was still standing inside.

Kurt stared at the door. Lately, it seemed like Sebastian was so distracted with _Bland_ that he completely forgot about Kurt and their friendship. Trudging glumly out in the hallway towards his own dorm, Kurt resigned himself to a lonely night. It wasn't like he actually had any other friends aside from Seb. Most of his classmates had accepted that he wasn't just Kurt, he was the second half of _KurtandSebastian_, that they were a package deal. And since the majority tried avoiding Sebastian as much as they could, it resulted in Kurt being overlooked. The minority that actually talked to Sebastian were all his _buddies_, so they never remembered the wingman, only the man of the hour… Suffice to say that Kurt had no one in the school.

Just then, a few boys passed by loudly discussing the merits of RENT, and Kurt's ears pricked up. He thought they were Warblers, but he wasn't sure.

"Obviously, Collins is the one who hurts the most, I mean Angel is the only one who dies-"

"But Mimi-"

"Was fine in the end, since there was that heaven stuff with Angel calling her to go back."

"How about Mark? I mean like literally all his friends are sick, so he'll probably be the one who outlives them all, I mean, man, do you know just how hard it is to be left alone in the world as your friends leave? Must be tough, man."

"Um, excuse me?" Kurt nearly stutters. The boys pause in their tromping to turn confused (or in one case, suspicious) eyes towards him.

"Sorry 'bout the uh, intrusion," Kurt's voice wavers, "but if you're talking RENT then technically Maureen and Joanne aren't sick. So Mark probably won't be the only left." There was an awkward pause as the boys blink at one another, puzzled at this slight brunette.

"Kurt right? Sebastian's friend?" a slightly rounder boy steps forward. Kurt deflates a bit at the label. _Sebastian's friend. _Never _just Kurt_. He nods mutely.

"I'm Trent," the round boy- ah he's in Kurt's English class- says. "We were planning on watching RENT in the junior commons, since these plebeians," he gestured to two hulking guys at the back of the group, "haven't watched it yet. You want to join?"

The short guy who had been on Seb's left when they sang the Jackson song to Blaine cut in viciously. "Nah, Trent, he's probably busy helping _Sebastian_," he declared, and Kurt recoiled a bit. "I mean, you said it yourself, he's Sebastian's friend. Why would he lower himself to actually watch a movie with us 'peasants'?" he echoed Seb's previous statement at the rehearsal. In that moment, Kurt felt ashamed of Sebastian for the first time.

"Look, he didn't mean it that way-" he instinctively tried to defend his best friend.

"Then what _did_ he mean?" the short guy's face was twisted into a snarl. Kurt was suddenly overwhelmed-

_**The hulk of a man's face was twisted in an unattractive snarl. **_

"_**What did you mean by that, cock-sucker?" **_

"I, I- I don't- I'm sorry, okay? I'msorryI'llleaveyouallalone!" he frantically burst out and started jogging towards the direction of his room. Where was the anti-bullying policy when you needed it? Where was Seb when you needed him?

Oh right, he was with _Bland_. Of course, he was.

"Hey!" someone called behind him, and footsteps resounded behind him. Kurt felt panicked, oh g-d they were catching up, they must want to beat him up-

"Hey, you okay? I'm sorry, man! I didn't mean to-" that was snarly guy. Kurt tried to walk faster but the end of the hallway was coming up. Unless he wanted to seem like an absolute moron and coward running away from a classmate, he'd have to turn. Kurt had pride.

"You knew exactly what you meant," Kurt gritted out.

"I know but I didn't mean for it to come out so harsh. Look, today your best friend was hounding on us all, and I had a bad day okay? I didn't mean to take it out on you; I was just a bit wary-" Kurt could see that the rest of the small group had disappeared down the stairs.

"Wary that I'd be like Seb? News flash, I doubt you and Trent are exactly the same. Seb's in a league of his own; I'm just the forgotten best friend," Kurt laughed bitterly, shaking his head side to side.

"Yeah, I know that now, I'm sorry. Do you still want to join us? Unless, you really _do_ have plans? I'm Thad, Thad Harwood by the way," Thad rocked on the balls of his feet, hands dug deep into his pockets.

"Kurt Hummel, and no I don't have plans… but are you sure I won't be intruding?" Kurt smiled anxiously. This would be the first time he'd have any true interaction with other students alone.

"Nope, the guys are really friendly. Honestly I'm the worst of the group, attitude problems you know?" Thad's hand rubbed the back of his neck, ashamed. "I really am sorry for what I said back there, again. I just…"

"Yeah, Seb can grate on people. I think it's in his nature to be a bit of an ass. I want to apologize for what he said the other day," Kurt said as he and Thad started back down the hall. Inside he was both giddy and scared. What if the group didn't like him, simply because he was who he was?

"Why're are you friends then?" Thad asked innocently. Kurt paused. His mind immediately flashed back to that night. The way Sebastian had held the hand of a stranger boy tightly the way to the hospital, the easy years they'd spent together on the Parisian streets.

"Yeah, he's an ass… but he's much more then that. You just have to know him better, and if you do, then he's the greatest best friend someone could have," Kurt mused quietly. The rest of the trip to the commons was spent in companionable silence.

"Guys, this is Kurt Hummel. Newest victim of Thad's attitude problem as some of you witnessed, so you'd better play nice to compensate," Trent joked as the two stepped in.

Choruses of "Hey Kurt" and "Hi Kurt" resounded through the room, even a "Whoa gorgeous, can I have your number?" The boy who said that immediately got a slap up the back of his head.

"Sorry about Cameron. This is Nick, Flint, Jeff, David and Andrew. We're all on the Warblers with uh- Sebastian." A low grumble went out when Sebastian was mentioned, and Kurt felt a bit uncomfortable until the really blonde boy-Jeff? - smiled cheerfully and patted the empty spot next to him.

" WHOO! RENT!" he crowed and Kurt smirked, folding himself down.

The rest of the night passed, to Kurt's surprise, very easily. He actually got on pretty well with the other eight boys, particularly with Flint, Niff (Nick and Jeff, apparently they were boyfriends) and _very_ surprisingly, Thad. The group (all Warblers, he was informed by David with a grin) was friendly and welcoming, and soon they were chatting away like they'd known each other years. Of course he wasn't as comfortable with them as he was with Seb, but he actually felt accepted.

The clinch came at the end of the night, when Cameron burst out with an offhand, "Jeez, Kurt you're so nice. Tell me again how _you _of all people are friends with McAsshole?" Kurt stiffened.

Andrew frowned and chastised him, "That's kind of rude, Cam."

"Yeah, but-"

"We've been friends since childhood, and he's my best friend, so I'd appreciate if you'd just left it," Kurt snapped tersely.

"Sorry, I mean, like, he seems kind of different around you than with other people… with the others, he's just… a jerk." Cameron continued. Kurt frowned. He didn't like hearing Sebastian being painted as the bad guy.

"Honestly? Seb's just- He's an ass sometimes, with helluvalot layers, but once he lets you in, and you he? He's the best friend, _anyone_, and I mean anyone, could have. He's true, you know? And he doesn't care about masking the truth to make you feel better, you do something wrong, he'll definitely call bull. He's loyal to a freaking fault, and he'll go through thick and thin to save your ass, if he deems you worth it," Kurt rushed out, and then blushed. "I mean, it isn't like _you guys_ aren't worth it, it's uh, I uh-"

"It's OK, we get what you mean. And it isn't like we've put a lot of effort to get to know the man behind the jerk, so I guess we really can't have a place in Sebastian's heart," Nick smiled reassuringly. That didn't settle Kurt's nerves.

"He cares about you all, you know? The Warblers, I mean. He talks about you all the time; always asking me for opinions on your song arrangements, dance choreography. He wouldn't invest so much time into something he doesn't care about, so yeah, he uh… cares. Too." Kurt trailed off awkwardly.

"Wait so you mean those awesome song and dance arrangements are yours?!" David burst out in excitement. Kurt shook his head.

"Seb's. I just tweak things here and there."

"Hey, Kurt, why don't you join the Warblers? I mean with I Want You Back you picked up choreography quick, and from what we heard just now during RENT you can sing, man!" Jeff inserted.

"Technically, I arranged part of that choreography, so of course I picked it up quickly, and no… I just don't think that I'd fit the Warblers voice. Someone once told me my voice didn't exactly meld, so… yeah."

"_**You with your annoying fag voice, parading in these fucking streets. Fitting that you're in a cemetery, you must be looking for death. Get the fuck outta here, lady boy!" the unknown teen sneered. Kurt tried to cower behind his mother's tombstone. Meanwhile from across the cemetery, Sebastian started running towards his friend.**_

"_**Hey! Get away from my friend, and you scum," Sebastian used every inch of his extra height to tower above the shorter, pimply teen.**_

Kurt paled a bit at the memory, but was knocked out of his thoughts literally when Trent clapped a hand on his back amicably.

"Hey no way! You are a freaking countertenor, we would love to have you!" Thad smiled. Kurt shook his head no, he didn't want in. Andrew, originally perked up at the idea of a countertenor in the choir, deflated a bit.

"It's his choice," Flint interrupted. "Anyway, I don't get something about RENT…"

And from there on the group got into a spirited debate about the possibility of Benny being redeemed. Kurt shot Flint a grateful smile, the big boy just smiled serenely back.

Their discussion was interrupted with a roar of "K! STARK! WHARE ARE YOU? C'MON IT'S AN SOS!" from upstairs. Sebastian? Huh, maybe the intervention didn't go as well as he planned.

"Sorry, boys, I have to dash," Kurt got up unwillingly. Would the guys still want to hang out with him once this night was over? Probably not… Kurt wasn't worth remembering anyways…

"Aw… hey you should come to our movie nights! You're in Room 308 right? Yep, next time we have a movie night we'll come calling. See you tomorrow, Kurt!" Trent exclaimed. They all waved him goodbye, as Kurt trudged up the stairs smiling to himself. He was far from being a true part of their group, but it was a start.

"You called?" Kurt grinned at Sebastian.

"Yeah, where'd you go? Anyways, big news- remember when Blaine said they were doing West Side Story? Actually that's irrelevant… the point is that I recognized the girl playing Maria, and since she didn't exactly know me, I interrogated her. Apparently she didn't know that Blaine and that jug-mouthed blonde were dating, because once I told her I was attracted to Blaine, she spilled all about his current favourite songs. Guess they're close? So I've compiled a list of all the ones I'd be willing to serenade Sex on a Stick with," Sebastian smirked victoriously and shoved a piece of paper at Kurt. Kurt's eyes widened as he read the list.

"Th-they're all romantic songs, who are you and what have you done to Sebastian Smythe!" he sputtered incredulously. Sebastian rolled his eyes.

"I have to crank it up a notch, I think. Blaine's worth it anyway, so I guess I could attempt some romance? You'd think virgins would like that… maybe I should ask one. Hey, Trent!" he barked suddenly, spotting Trent heading to his dorm from the commons. The boy in question looked up warily, and his frown deepened as he spotted his newly found friend mouthing, panicked "I'm sorry" over and over again. He surmised that whatever it was, it would be bad news.

"You're a virgin right? Do you like these sappy songs?" and with that Sebastian snatched the list back from Kurt and thrust it into Trent's chest, nearly knocking the boy over with his aggressiveness. Kurt leapt forward to steady him and leveled a ferocious glare at his best friend.

"What's your problem, Seb? You can't just go around asking people that! It's incredibly rude. Sorry about him, Trent, you know he's an ass," Kurt mumbled the last under his breath. Sebastian raised an eyebrow, since when did Kurt ever defend the peasantry? He sniffed.

"No harm, no foul Kurt. I know he's an ass, and yes, I do like these 'sappy songs'," Trent huffed. He handed the list back to Kurt and walked away from him and Sebastian, not without giving the latter a glare and the former a wave.

"Since when did you and Trent get all buddy buddy? Okay so back to the topic, which song do you think I should sing? I think you should accompany me on the piano or guitar, you know how your hands are mad like that, yeah?" Sebastian grinned crookedly at him, and Kurt felt his stomach swoop. Damn, walk away, walk away. What was happening to him?

"Seb, you do know that none of these songs really fit your situation, right? The most accurate one here is _The One That Got Away_, and- you're not- why is this song on the list, you wouldn't be caught dead singing this!"

"Who cares if they fit my situation?"

"You of all people know to achieve maximum effect you have to be completely one with the lyrics, that they should whole heartedly express your feelings. To be honest, Seb, you suck at choosing songs to serenade Blaine. _Stereo Hearts_? Really?" Kurt bitched.

"Whatever, g-d you are so annoying sometimes, I swear you'll be the death of me! Just c'mon and help me choose? I'm going for heart warm and moving."

"I'll listen to a few of them. I'll get back to you tomorrow," Kurt said curtly.

"Thanks, Stark," Sebastian bumped his best friend's soldier. "Are you okay? You've been a bit down lately," he asked, concerned.

"'m fine," Kurt mumbled. Sebastian's forehead creased.

"You sure? I can't have my wingman sick so close to the prize."

"Blaine… he's a person, Seb, not a prize. Remember that, if you really succeed in breaking him and his boyfriend up then maybe you really should try dating him for a while? It would do you good, and it wouldn't be really fair to Blaine if you ruin is happiness and then dump him after a quick f-k."

"Why're you Mr. Morals, suddenly?" Sebastian quirked his eyebrow quizzically.

"Screw you," Kurt snapped, "I just think that this is the most effort I've ever seen you put into a chase, bar that priest in Greece. And even then it was more of you harassing him with your good looks and charming personality until he gave in, not this serenading crap. I think this could be a turning point for you."

"Turning point my delectable ass… Naw, I just like the challenge," Sebastian paused when his friend fixed him with a steady glare, "I know, I know, not healthy for me. Yeah, but I thought you accepted this lifestyle; hell you partook in it regularly for a while," Sebastian didn't feel too comfortable faced with his best friend's judgment, more so than anyone else's. Kurt was the only one who both knew of his promiscuous lifestyle and truly accepted him. His parents, and hell even Burt suspected, but didn't really know of his sleeping around.

"You know I do, Seb. Don't-"

"Turn your words around, I know," the taller boy sighed. He scowled at his dorm door, then turned, opening his mouth to ask-

"Yeah, I'll come over. Honestly, if you applied for a single, why does it never actually stay a single?"

Sebastian grinned maliciously.

"Precisely why I applied for one."

"Gross, don't you get vulgar with me of all people!" Kurt hit Sebastian's shoulder gently, "I'll bring my laptop so you can tell me which songs are your personal favourites," he snorted and glanced down to the list fisted in his hand. Seriously, this Blaine's music taste, was just-

"It isn't your taste, is it?" Sebastian laughed lightly. "Mine either, but there are a few songs that could make their way to my iPod."

Kurt pushed his door open to get ready for a night over at his best friend's.


	4. Chapter 3

Blaine was feeling suspicious of the note in his locker telling him to go to the auditorium after Glee. Was this a ploy of the jocks to get him alone? He dragged Rachel with him, just in case it was so that she could screech- er, he meant yell- for help.

To his surprise he found two figures on stage. Was that Sebastian Smythe? What was he doing here at McKinley? He could also see another boy sitting on the piano stool, doing scales softly. He looked a bit familiar, but in the dark lights it was a bit hard to see his face.

"Oh good, Maria's with you as well. Nice to see you again, Blaine," Smythe's smooth voice purred. Blaine wasn't sure but he thought he saw the piano player roll his eyes.

"Oh, hello. You're the one who asked me about Blaine's song preferences, right?" Blaine felt his eyes widen. So Smythe had gone to _Rachel_? Of all the people, he chose the one person who wasn't yet aware of his and Sam's relationship?

"Blaine," Rachel turned to him, her tone imperious, "this dashing young man came asking me for your favourite songs! I think he wants to _serenade_ you!" The last was said in a whisper, which in Rachel's case was still very loud.

"Noooo… Rach I have a boyfriend!" Blaine moaned. Rachel stood there slack-jawed at her misjudgment, then opened her mouth to demand exactly why hadn't her best gay told her about this boyfriend?

"You can interrogate him later, Maria. Now, just listen," Sebastian sent an over-the-top smarmy wink his way. He didn't even look at the piano boy, but somehow Smythe must have cued him because the player seemed to know exactly when to start playing, timing the piano entrance with Sebastian's visible breathing.

"_What would I do without your smart mouth"_ Sebastian sang, and Kurt couldn't help but feel a twang of _something_ deep in his heart. He'd felt this way when he'd first heard the song in Seb's room a week ago, and he'd felt astonished as to how much he could relate the song to him and Sebastian. He didn't know what he would do without Seb's constant jibes and rebuttals to his inner-bitch that only reared its head around his best friend.

"_Drawing me in, and you kicking me out. Got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down"_ Sometimes it felt as if he and Seb were truly one being, moving in undisputed harmony, but nowadays more often than not, it was as if Sebastian and he were drawing farther away from each other. It scared Kurt to no end. He didn't know what he would do without his other half.

"_What's going on in that beautiful mind? I'm on your magical mystery ride,"_ Sebastian glanced towards the pale boy on the piano, and couldn't help but feel the distance between them suddenly. _"And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me, but I'll be alright" _The past week had been filled with him trying to find Kurt to rehearse this song with only to find him joking in the art room with Andrew, Cameron and Flint, debating about politics with David and Thad, or discussing Vogue with Niff and Trent. So he was finding other friends than Sebastian, why did he suddenly feel the tiniest bit possessive? He used to be able to read the other half of their duo, but now?

"_My head's underwater. But I'm breathing fine. You're crazy and I'm out of my mind"_ Kurt smiled at that last line. It was true; it was like he was overwhelmed with his friendship with Seb lately, but at the same time everything was so normal and he could think clearly. And his friend was a maniac, and yes, his crazy did spread. Little did he know said maniac, standing a few metres away, was thinking along the same lines as he, completely forgetting for a few moments that he was supposed to be freaking _serenading_ the boy in the audience.

"_Cause all of me. Loves all of you."_ Kurt impulsively joined in, his countertenor voice weaving a harmony out of Sebastian's melody. Their voices blended and melded together, and anyone listening would have felt like it was so _right_. Sebastian merely raised an eyebrow at the ad-lib and leaned against the piano to look at their two listeners, but he had complete trust in his friend's musical sense so he knew nothing would go wrong.

"_Love your curves and all your edges. All your perfect imperfections."_ Actually singing the words was so different from just listening to Sebastian singing them- and there was that twang again. Kurt knew that he was truly the only one in the world to have seen all facets, all sides of Sebastian and truly love him- he told himself platonically- and he knew that sometimes Seb _did_ actually have feelings, that sometimes all the slut-shaming and homophobia really _could_ get to the seemingly impenetrable heart of Sebastian Smythe. On those bad days he had to remind Seb of who he was, inflate that generous ego and whip the boy back into game.

"_Give your all to me. I'll give my all to you,"_ Blaine was impressed with how the cover sounded, although a bit peeved that Smythe had chosen the song he'd been planning to sing to Sam for their one-month anniversary. He was a bit in awe of how effortlessly the harmony in the chorus was sung by the pale piano player. He was now quite certain he'd been one of the Warblers in the first serenade, and certainly had been the other boy he'd seen in the picture in Smythe's wallet- Smythe had insisted on paying for his coffee last week when he crashed his date with Sam.

"_You're my end and my beginning. Even when I lose I'm winning,"_ Blaine furrowed his admittedly triangular eyebrows when he saw Smythe's friend seem to study Smythe over the piano, hands still travelling smoothly over the keys. He then took in Smythe's stance next to the instrument, how much more relaxed he seemed than at the Lima Bean with Blaine and Sam. Curious…

"Is it just me, or are they singing the song to each other, rather than to me?" Blaine whispered quietly towards Rachel. Rachel nodded. She knew on-stage chemistry when she saw it, and boy did these two have it… damn if this was what the Warblers had to offer, they had serious work to do at Regionals. She'd just have to convince Mr. Schuester to give her another solo!

"_Cause I give you all of me. And you give me all of you, oh"_ And it was just too true to comprehend, for Kurt. He knew there were few people he would lay his life down for, and Sebastian was on that list. He would help Seb wherever which way, no matter what cost… he would give Seb all of him. And Seb trusted him wholeheartedly as well. Sure, they had their fights in the past, but he knew that Seb would always be there. His best friend had on more than one occasion laid his soul bare in his hands, and he would never betray that. Never, since Seb had also given Kurt all of him.

As the song progressed, both Kurt and Sebastian found themselves singing to each other, although they weren't aware of it. Although for the rest of the song Sebastian made an effort to sing _towards_ Blaine, he could feel the song in his heart, really being sung to his best friend behind him. But that was sort of stupid, since this was a love song, and he didn't- it was just platonic- he loved Kurt but not like- right?

Kurt was his best friend, who was often insecure, who depended on Seb, who Sebastian depended on too. They were each other's strength where the other had a weakness, each other's mirror where reflection and will was needed, two pieces of a whole.

Meanwhile, in the audience, unknown to the two singers, three audience members were nearly moved to tears. Sam hugged Blaine from behind as he observed the weak attempt of a serenade. If the goal of the serenade was to sing to his boyfriend, then the rude Warbler was failing miserably, since no matter how he tried to mask it, his mind was elsewhere. But wherever his mind was, emotion bled throughout the words. Sam and Blaine now felt ridiculously lovey-dovey; and Rachel was torn between feeling sorry for the two boys who obviously did not know how they fit together musical wise, and being horrified of the show of talent.

"_I give you all of me. And you give me all of you, ohh"_ Sebastian finished with the piano softly trailing off. Taking just a moment to gather himself, he scowled at the blonde who had entered the auditorium somewhere during the second verse.

"Seb, we'd better leave now if we're going to make it back before dinner," Kurt hissed as he started packing up.

"Wait, will you? I need to get something clear first," Sebastian murmured back, his eyes flicking to his best friend- who he was suddenly seeing in a different light- g-d!

"So, Blaine… and co. I honestly can say that that's the first romantic serenade I've given anyone. I hope you know you're special, Blaine. You say that you don't want to be another mark on my bedpost, yet I do care you know…" he trailed off when he saw Kurt's critical glare. He sighed.

"Anyway, I just wanted you to know that, so until we meet again, Blaine," he ended abruptly, completely scrapping the part where he asked Blaine out for dinner. Kurt had said to actually consider something serious with Blaine… so if he wanted to heed the words of his best friend, he's have to - what was it they called? -start slow.

"I see, goodbye, Sebastian," Blaine snorted, truly amused. The McKinley trio made their way out of the auditorium, and Blaine turned to see the piano player and Sebastian sling their arms around each other's shoulders as they left through the back.


End file.
